Alaska begins early voting as Anchorage ballot-measure hearings continue

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The Alaska Division of Elections began absentee in-person, early, electronic-transmission and special-needs voting Aug. 3, opening multiple voting options ahead of the state’s Aug. 18, 2026, primary election.

The voting launch comes as Anchorage hosts public hearings on three statewide ballot measures. Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom scheduled hearings for July 27 and Aug. 5 on proposals involving campaign-contribution limits, voter qualification and Alaska’s primary and general-election system.

The Division of Elections has also published a 2026 ballot-measure pamphlet. The hearing schedule is part of the public process for the measures; it is not a vote or final action on any proposal.

Primary election schedule i

The Division of Elections lists Aug. 18 as the date of Alaska’s 2026 primary. Its election information page identifies Aug. 3 as the start date for absentee in-person voting, early voting, electronic-transmission voting and special-needs voting.

Those options provide avenues for Alaska voters to cast ballots before the primary date. The state’s published schedule places the start of those voting methods 15 days before the Aug. 18 primary.

Measures under discussion i

Ballot Measure 1 concerns restoring campaign-contribution limits for state and local campaigns. Ballot Measure 3 concerns voter qualification.

Ballot Measure 2 would restore political-party primaries, end ranked-choice general elections and repeal recent campaign-finance laws. Those are proposed changes described in the state’s hearing notice; the notice does not establish that the measure has passed or that any of its provisions is in effect.

The three measures concern rules that would affect statewide elections and campaigns, while the official hearing process is tied directly to Anchorage. The Division of Elections identifies Anchorage as the hearing location and provides call-in information for the sessions.

Aug. 5 hearing times i

The Aug. 5 hearing schedule runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and assigns separate time blocks to each measure. The hearing on Ballot Measure 1 is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Ballot Measure 3 hearing is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Ballot Measure 2 hearing is set for 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The dates and times set by Dahlstrom identify the next scheduled public-hearing sessions in the run-up to the Aug. 18 primary. Election officials’ published materials provide the official primary schedule and ballot-measure information, but do not establish eventual results for any measure.

Sources

• 2026 Election Information, Alaska Division of Elections
• Lt. Governor Nancy Dahlstrom to Host Ballot Measure Public Hearings, Alaska Division of Elections

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